The results of computer modelling of an injection moulding process with microcellular foaming (MuCell®) were presented in this work. The process is based on the dissolving nitrogen in a liquid polymer which is possible when nitrogen is in supercritical fluid state (SCF). After pressure drop of the melt in the injection mould the intensive nucleation of pores occurs and, as the result, the material with high concentration of small pores is created. The pores obtained in this way are of much smaller size than in a conventional foaming process. The pore size in the cross-section of an exemplary injection moulded part was calculated in the computer modelling and compared to the results of microscopical investigation made on the real injection moulded part. It was found that the size of the pores depends on the flow length inside the injection mould and on the position in the part’s cross-section.

The injection moulding conditions may change the degree of crystallinity of the plastic to some extent, which affects the mechanical properties such as tensile strength and hardness. Moreover, the cooling conditions of the moulded parts may contribute to changes in their shrinkage. The paper presents the results of determination of the melting enthalpy of a polypropylene. The melting enthalpy ∆ H_m was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. It was found, that the value of the melting enthalpy depends on the physical conditions prevailing during the sample production process, such as the temperature of the liquid material, the cooling rate of the plastic (related to the mould temperature T_m) and the flow rate of the plastic in the mould. The degree of crystallinity of the obtained samples was also determined, which, depending on the measured enthalpy of fusion, influences the degree of structural order of the polymer. Standardized test samples were also analysed in terms of transversal shrinkage and longitudinal shrinkage. The shrinkage of the injection moulded parts results from the change of physical state of plastic during its solidification in the mould.